At Peace
by Saladin
Summary: The aftermaths of FFX (contains SPOILERS), takes place after the ending sequence as the characters try to face up to what has gone before them.


            **At Peace**

            **Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X and all the characters in this story are the property of Squaresoft and I didn't invent them.**

**            This is my first ever fanfic, based on a game that I really love and I hope you enjoy it. It is my interpretation of what happened after the ending sequence in FFX. Feel free to flame it if you wish. And if you haven't finished the game yet, stop reading NOW!! And go finish it**

Sitting in silence, Yuna watched the waves wash up the beach. She was unaware of the hours that had passed as she had sat there, with her faithful Ronso Kimahri watching over her. The calm sea was somehow comforting to her, perhaps as the sight of the gentle waves untroubled by Sin helped to convince her that it had been worthwhile, or perhaps this place was so special because it was where _he_ had first come to Besaid. 

            "The sun will soon go down," Kimahri said quietly. "Yuna should go home."

            Yuna nodded her head and slowly rose to her feet. She walked down the beach until her feet were covered by water and looked out at the sunset. Putting two fingers to her mouth, she whistled loudly and then went silent again. It pained Kimahri to watch her, as he did every evening. Though she tried to hide her feelings, Kimahri knew that she was not the same happy girl she had been before the defeat of Sin. Kimahri missed that girl that he had watched over for so many years, though the Ronso was even more used to hiding his own feelings.

            "Yuna ready?" he asked once she had stopped whistling. 

            "Yes."

            Kimahri followed Yuna as she walked slowly back towards the village of Besaid. The Ronso watched protectively over his weary young friend, who seemed almost in a daydream as they entered the village. A fire was burning brightly in the village centre, where Lulu sat, waiting for Yuna to return.

            "How are you feeling Yuna?" She said looking up from the fire.

            "I'm alright."

            "That's good to hear. Wakka returns from Luca tomorrow. He's leaving the Aurochs for the rest of the season. It will do him good to get a break from that game for a while."

            "Yes."

            Lulu sighed. She had hoped Yuna would be more excited to see Wakka but instead had remained as silent as ever. This came as no surprise to Lulu: Yuna rarely felt like talking, especially when she came back from the beach. 

            "You seem tired dear," Lulu said softly. ""Why don't you get some rest?"

            "Yes. Goodnight."

            "Goodnight Yuna."

            Yuna turned away from the fire and walked towards the small cottage that she and Lulu had shared as a home since their return to Besaid. 

            "She's not looking any better is she?"

            "Yuna sad. Kimahri also sad."

            "Me too, Kimahri. I wish there was something we could do."

Yuna lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. Only in her dreams did she truly find comfort, dreams of the past and her youth, dreams of people and places and dreams of Zanarkand. _His_ Zanarkand.

She dreamt of tall buildings, flashing lights and streets filled with people. Blitzball stadiums full of cheering fans, whistling in hope of seeing the star of the Zanarkand Abes. And she was there, whistling too. She was dreaming the same dream that the fayth had dreamt for thousands of years, but whilst the fayth had seeked release, Yuna did not want to let go. She loved these dreams, a faded dream had first taught her to love, a dream that came from the sky, a dream that she would never forget. 

            "Stay with me, stay with me until the end." She whispered softly in her sleep, and then she heard in her dream, the answer that he had once given: 

"Not till the end. Always."

            A tear rolled down the young summoner's cheek as she slept, watched by Lulu from the doorway. Lulu covered her with a blanket and sat by her a while, gazing out the window at the stars. "Where are you Tidus?" she whispered softly.

            "You're LEAVING?!" 

            "Yeah I'm leaving. You'll live without me for the rest of the season, ya?"

            The Aurochs watched stunned as Wakka emptied his locker. 

            "Besides, I'm only the coach. You guys know how to play blitz ya?"

            "We've got to play the Goers next week, what do you expect us to do?" Datto asked in frustration.

            "Do your best."

            "Thanks a lot."

            Wakka headed for the door. "Hey, look lively ya? It's a new season and we've got a new player so lose those unhappy faces!"

            "That Isken guy?" Botta said in disgust. "I score more goals than him!"

            "You'll make it! What did you do the last time I left the game?"

            "We lost. Badly."

            Wakka sighed. "Seriously guys. There are things more important in life than blitzball. I spent the early years of my life ignoring that and I regret it now. I don't want to leave now, but I have to."

            The Aurochs nodded in silence. 

            "See you boys later, ya?"

            "Yes Cap'n."

            Wakka left the locker room and headed for the Luca docks. He'd arranged for a ship to sail him to Besaid, having recently received a letter from Lulu. She'd described Yuna's condition and how painful it was to watch her each day. Wakka wanted to be there for Yuna, though he felt that maybe Lulu was in greater need of his support than her. Though hearing of Yuna caused Wakka much pain, he remained light-hearted: he was going to have to if he was to be able to offer any support at all. He felt quite guilty to have left Yuna and Lulu to get back into the game, but after defeating Sin, there didn't seem to be much left for a guardian to do. He'd hoped he could finally play blitzball with a clear conscience but it hadn't lasted long.  Having left the Aurochs and the blitzball season behind him, Wakka boarded his ship and set sail for Besaid.

            It was late morning when Yuna woke up to the sound of voices outside. Lulu had left the house some hours ago and had left Yuna some food on her bedside table. Yuna sat up and poured herself a glass of water, though she didn't feel like eating anything. Looking out through her bedroom window, she noticed that Besaid appeared to be practically deserted apart from a few people and Kimahri, who was sitting by the town's fireplace. She suddenly remembered that Wakka was arriving from Luca today and figured that many of the villagers had gone to greet him. Yuna dressed quickly and walked guiltily out of the door, where Kimahri was waiting for her.

            "Yuna sleep well?" Kimahri asked.

            "I…I'm sorry. I've overslept."

            "Matters not. Lulu already left for beach."

            "Should we go too?"

            "No need. Look." Kimahri said, pointing to the village entrance.

            Wakka and Lulu were walking down the hill towards them with some other villagers. Wakka smiled and waved to Yuna as he walked through the village entrance. "Hey sleepy head! How's my little Yuna doing, eh?"

            "I…I'm alright. I'm sorry, I overslept."

            "Forget about it! How's about my Ronso friend?"

            "Kimhari fine."

            "We can talk more inside," Lulu said. "Wakka will want to rest and I'll make some food for us."

            "Sounds good ya?"

            Wakka could tell that no-one was as light-hearted as they seemed, but remained cheerful as he followed the others into the small cottage.

            "This should have been finished three months ago!!" Cid shouted at his Al Bhed workers. "What's been taking you so long?"

            "Hey pops, chill out." Rikku said. "Don't be so unreasonable!"

            "I'll be as unreasonable as I want!"

            Rikku shook her head. The reconstruction of Home had been ongoing ever since the defeat of Sin but in the final stages, few of the Al Bhed shared Cid's sense of urgency to finish the project on schedule. Rikku wandered away from the building site and walked across the desert plains as the sun set on Bikanel Island. She walked towards her apartment block, which stood on the outskirts of the Al Bhed city. As she walked through the streets, Rin stopped her and handed her an envelope. 

            "This came for you this morning Rikku," he said. "It appears to be from Luca."

            "Who do I know in Luca?"

            "I'm not sure. There aren't many Al Bhed living there."

            "I'll read it later. Thanks Rin."

            "My pleasure."

            Rikku ripped open the envelope and lifted out the letter. After reading the first few sentences she recognised the familiar dialogue of her blitzball player friend. Excitedly she read the letter but her spirits were soon dampened by what Wakka had to say. She pocketed the letter and ran back up the street.

            "Rin! RIN!" she shouted after him.

            "Yes? Can be of assistance?"

            "I need to take an airship to Besaid tomorrow, it's urgent."

            "I'm not sure, I don't think it will be cheap."

            "Rin! This is important!"

            "Alright. I should be able to get one at a reasonable price."

            Rikku scowled. "Alright."

            "I'll see you tomorrow, thank you for your custom."

            "Yeah right." Rikku said, turning to head back home.

            The sun had set and the village of Besaid lay sleeping but Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri remained seated around the fireplace. 

            "It's even worse than I thought," Wakka said, sadly. "That ain't the Yuna I used to know."

            "I know." Lulu replied quietly.

            "And seeing her like that…it breaks my heart."

            "You think it doesn't hurt me? I've had to watch her like this for nearly a year while you've been playing that stupid game!"

            "What's that supposed to mean?!"

            "QUIET!" Kimahri said firmly. "Yuna sleeps."

            They both fell silent. Wakka eventually started to talk.

            "It's not like I haven't been hurting these past few years ya?"

            "I know."

            "To tell you the truth, the game's never been the same. Not since the kid left."

            "I see."

            "I really miss having him around. The boys ain't got that winning attitude anymore. He really knew how to blitz."

            "It looks like he meant more to us than we let him believe."

            "He certainly meant a lot to Yuna ya? But she'll get better, she just needs time!"

            "Kimahri uncertain."

            Lulu looked at the ground and said nothing.

            "Maybe she'll feel better when Rikku gets here."

            "What?"

            "I thought she might be able to cheer Yuna up so I wrote to her, the letter should have arrived this morning."

            "That's only going to make things worse! You know Rikku won't be able to leave Yuna alone and Yuna doesn't need that right now."

            "Hey how was I to know? I just did what I thought was best ya?"

"I just hope she doesn't do anything stupid. For your sake."

"Gimme a break, ya?"

Lulu stood up. "I'm going to check on Yuna and then I'm going to try and sleep. Will you find a room in the inn?"

"Yeah I'll find something. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Lulu walked away from the fire and entered the house. Wakka started to put out the fire. "And we thought everything was gonna be ok once we'd defeated Sin. Look like we spoke too soon."

Kimahri nodded. The two remained silent and watched the fire slowly go out, as Lulu stood in the doorway of Yuna's room, with a tear running down her cheek.

            "How much longer?" complained Rikku, sitting in the bridge of the Al Bhed airship.

            "It's not too far now," Rin replied casually. "Would you like to buy some refreshments?"

            "BUY some refreshments? Haven't I pay enough for this trip already?!"

            "The extra cost was necessary to get a ship at such short notice."

            "Rin, don't pretend anyone was going to use this ship today! You're always looking for the next deal aren't you?"

            Seemingly oblivious to what she'd just said, Rin produced a price list for the refreshments. "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

            Rikku turned to face the window, folding her arms and frowning. "We'd better get there soon."

            Wakka was cleaning the pots from that night's dinner when he saw the airship fly over Besaid. Yuna had been no better than the day before and Wakka prayed, for both his and Yuna's sake, that Rikku wouldn't make anything worse. Wakka felt guilty enough already.

            "Hey Lulu," he called. "Did you see that ship fly by just now?"

            "Yes," Lulu replied, staring out the window. "It appears that our guest has arrived."

            "Hey, I'm sorry if I shouldn't have told her, but I just thought…"

            "Never mind."  

            "Sheesh." Wakka said to himself as he returned to the washing.

            "I'm BACK!!"

            They heard the familiar sound of Rikku's voice outside. Wakka turned around to see her burst through the door with a predictably wide grin on her face. It seemed as if she'd forgotten why Wakka had wrote to her.

            "How is everyone?" Rikku said, dropping her bag in the hallway. "Where's Yunie?"

            "She's gone down to the beach, like she does every evening." Wakka said quietly.

            "Huh? Oh right! I'll go meet her! It'll be a surprise!"

            "Wait, hold on a…" Wakka said turning round to see her dash out the door. He turned to go after her, but felt Lulu's hand on his shoulder.

            "Let her go. Maybe she can help."

            "Huh?"

            "Nothing we've tried has worked, maybe seeing Rikku will cheer her up."

            "Maybe. I just hope she doesn't do anything stupid, ya?"

            Yuna sat in peace on the soft sand, staring out to sea as she always did. Kimahri respected her time here and remained silent whilst watching over her from the top of the beach. Usually the only noises that could be heard were the sound of the wind and the sound of the sea washing up against the shore, which is why the noise of Rikku's arrival came as such a shock. Rikku dashed across the beach and Yuna barely had time to look round before the young Al Bhed girl embraced her. 

            "Yunie!" Rikku shouted.

            "Rikku?" Yuna replied, phased by Rikku's sudden arrival.

            "How are you? What are you doing? Are you here by yourself? Oh, there's Kimahri, hi Kimahri!!"

            Kimahri grunted in acknowledgement. Yuna stuttered, not quite sure which question to answer.

            "I…I'm ok."

            "What are you doing? Are you looking for something?"

            "No…just thinking."

            "About what?"

            "I…I'd rather not say."

            Rikku looked at Yuna confusedly before eventually putting the pieces together in her head. "OH. I see." She sat down next to her cousin and put Yuna's hand in hers. "You know Yuna, you can tell me anything. We're family after all!!"

            "I don't want to talk about it." Yuna had seemed quite confused and dazed before but she said those words clearly and harshly. Rikku seemed taken aback by the sudden change in Yuna's tone – she'd obviously touched a sore spot. For the first time since Rikku's arrival, the two girls sat in silence. Eventually, it was broken with a question that everyone else had been afraid to ask.

            "What's the matter Yunie? You seem so down and lifeless. You've rid the world of Sin once and for all, you're a hero!! Remember how great we said life would be after Sin was gone and everyone could live in peace? It's happened Yunie! Now is the time to be excited!"

            Kimahri winced as he watched her go on and on, when he knew inside that Yuna only wanted to be left alone. Everyone else had been too sensitive to ask these kind of questions but Rikku wouldn't stop. It seemed to Kimahri as if maybe she had been offended by the fact that Yuna wouldn't share her problems with her.

            When Rikku had finally finished, there was a long pause. Eventually Yuna replied wearily, standing up as she did so. "I…I'm not sure…I just want to go home…Kimahri? I want to go home now."

            Instantly Kimahri stepped forward to help Yuna to her feet. Yuna struggled to stand up and hung on to Kimahri's arm to support herself. She seemed weaker than before and Kimahri looked over her with grave concern. Rikku leapt to her feet, looking worriedly at her cousin through tearful eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you Yunie! Are you ok?"

            "I…It's not your fault Rikku…I just want to go home."

            Kimahri led her off the beach and walked her slowly towards the village. Rikku walked behind them, with an expression of worry on her face as she desperately searched for something she could do to help. Although she inwardly doubted that her words could have caused any serious damage, she couldn't help but feel responsible.

            They were about half a kilometre away from the village entrance when Yuna let go of Kimahri's arm and dropped to the ground. Kimahri quickly picked her up in his arms and started to run towards the entrance. She felt frail in his arms and was virtually unconscious. Rikku ran after Kimahri, now in floods of tears, desperately trying to wake Yuna up. "Yunie? Yunie? Can you hear me? What's wrong? Yunie, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

            The door to Lulu's house was practically torn off its hinges as the Ronso barged through without breaking his stride. "LULU!!!!" he shouted at a deafening volume.

            Rikku scrambled into the cottage behind Kimahri, gasping for breath from both the dash and the trauma. Lulu and Wakka ran into the corridor, shocked by all the sudden commotion and the Ronso's loud cry. Upon seeing Yuna, who lay motionlessly in his strong arms, Lulu gasped as she realised her worst fears were coming true. Swallowing her grief, she took Yuna from Kimahri. Wakka stood stunned and Rikku let out a fresh burst of tears. "I'm so sorry…Yunie!! It's all my fault, come back! I'm sorry…Yunie!!"

            "Be quiet." Lulu whispered to her. "She isn't gone yet." With that, she took Yuna through to her room and laid her on her bed. Sitting down next to the bed, Lulu placed her hand on Yuna's forehead and concentrated. A green glow appeared form her hand and then disappeared. Lulu removed her hand and instead clasped Yuna's in her own. Rikku knelt by the bed, trying to catch her breath through her tears whilst the other two stood solemnly at the foot of the bed. The moonlit room was silent, as no-one dared speak their fears, lest they would become true. Wakka bit his lip before eventually trying to comfort Rikku. "Hey, she's gonna be alright, there's no need for tears, ya?"

            Rikku didn't respond. Feelings of guilt and sorrow had overwhelmed her to the point were she could not speak through her tears. Wakka knelt by her side and placed his arm around her, for all the good it would do. Lulu rubbed Yuna's hand gently in hers as she sat with her head hung. And then there was Kimahri.

Stood deathly still, his eyes were fixated on the girl whom he'd sworn to protect. Tried by his inner feelings, the Ronso guardian was fighting with emotions he had never been prepared for. The stern outlook he had always managed to maintain seemed to be crumpling as the once mighty Ronso stance started to sag and Kimahri walked slowly to Yuna's bedside. He took Yuna's hand from Lulu and squeezed it tight before laying it down beside her. Shocked by the Ronso's sudden movements, Lulu looked up to see for the first time, a solitary tear running down the face of the tall Ronso. Kimahri turned to face her and spoke words the words of Auron which seemed to bring him agony with every syllable. In a weakened voice, he echoed, "Sometimes when one lovebird dies, the other one just loses its will to live." 

            Cringing from the pain it brought him he stroked Yuna's hair and then stood back from the bedside, trying to bear the grief that had struck him. Lulu leapt up from her chair and turned to face the Ronso. She seemed to have lost her usual calm composure and instead was visibly weeping as she gasped for breath. "NO!! She's not dead, SHE CAN'T BE DEAD!!"

            Rikku shrieked in grief as it all became so horribly real to her. Wakka was frozen with disbelief as he gazed at the lifeless figure on the bed and then to the fragile figure of Lulu before Kimahri. Kimahri turned his back to Lulu and hung his head low. "It is so. Lady Yuna is dead." Then he lifted his head to the sky, trying to block out the Lulu's distressed cries as his whispered to the heavens,

            "Forgive me…Yuna."

            Rikku bowed to the Guado greeting party as she stepped off her airship. A month had passed and they had decided it was time to return to Guadosalem, a city she remembered vividly from her visit all that time ago. The party of Guado escorted her to the steps leading to the Farplane, as Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri followed closely behind her. What had started as a solemn walk turned into more of a frantic dash as Rikku climbed the steps to the top. The Guado made way for the others as they followed Rikku at a more dignified pace. Rikku stood at the top, shaking with anticipation. The four stood and waited as the fireflies started to move, mimicking the memories of those that looked on. Rikku's eyes lit up as she gazed at the materialising picture. There she was, her hand placed lovingly in the palm of the figure beside her. Tidus stood by her side, a smile on his face that emitted warmth unlike Rikku had felt in a long time. Lulu was reduced to tears as she gazed upon the image of the happy couple. Wakka put his arm around her and grinned back at the onlooking pair. Rikku sat with her knees crossed, looking on in amazement as tears welled up in her eyes. 

Kimahri stood behind them, at the back, silent as always. 

But once, just for once, the Ronso smiled.


End file.
